KDSB aims for public awareness

News — 15 December 2010

The Kenora District Services Board (KDSB) decided it needed to take a new approach at raising awareness of its services.

The board developed a Marketing and Communications Task Force, with Dr. Joyce Timpson from Sioux Lookout as the chair. The task force put a call out to the local communities serviced by KDSB to gather opinions on changing the name of the organization as a whole, and developing some new branding initiatives.

“The name itself doesn’t say much, but more importantly, people don’t know what we’re about,” says Timpson. “Our first thought was whether we should change the name, and get a logo that markets what we do.”

The local serviceable communities submitted a 50/50 response as whether KDSB needed to invest the money needed to change the legal name of its organization and each individual department.

The board of KDSB decided upon a different, and much more economic approach. KDSB will retain its current name, but each of the four sub-departments will have Northwest added to the beginning.

According to Timpson, the departments will now be named Northwest EMS, Northwest Ontario Works, Northwest Child Care and Northwest Social Housing. This brings some fluidity within the organization, with a much lower cost attached.

The task force did put forward a new report to the board at the November 17 KDSB meeting, including using some of their currently budgeted funds to continue with the idea of promotion and marketing. Some items in the report included the development of a logo and letterhead, brochures, internal and external newsletters, and website design.

The approval of these items will be left to the new board that will be taking over in January, 2011.

By Ally Dunham